Seeking a GREAT Preschool for My 2-3 Year Old

There are lots of preschools in vienna. so there are many choices. last year i started our preschool search. we got into the 3 chosen schools, which i thought would not happen. i considered the fees disposable. some are church based, some are co-op, and some are independent. i'd also consider where you live in vienna as getting from one end to the other at 9am can be challenging. i'd be happen to help you. just contact me offline. typically most schools in the area have their open houses in january/february.

there is a mom's group in vienna - viennamoms.org. there are 200+ members and a nominal $25/year charge.

C.

Hi -- We love Andrew Chapel Preschool on Trap Road (between Route 7 and the toll road). They have a mother's day out program for 2s that transitions the kids well into the preschool. It's a great program with lots of activities for the kids (playground, music teacher, etc.). The director is Linda Idol ###-###-####). There is usually a wait list for preschool, but if you are in the MDO program you get priority. School just started this week, so you might still be able to get into MDO a couple of mornings a week. Good luck!

The preschool the other person referred to, run by a Mrs. Vickery, is called Parkwood. There's no sign outside so you may not even spot it, so use the contact information in the other post. I've heard lots of parents rave about it so that's a good one to try. But preschools here are indeed good and popular, so you should apply at a couple in case of waiting lists and you definitely should visit several rather than setting your heart on one immediately. A friend just said yesterday that she had moved her son to Parkwood and he was very happy there.

My daughter went for three years to Holy Comforter (on Beulah Road, in the Episcopal church there) and we both were very pleased with it--they have a speech therapist who comes weekly to do lessons with all the kids, an art teacher, a music teacher, a science teacher who comes in, etc.

Another popular large preschool is Vienna Baptist, and I know several folks who happily send their kids to Faith Baptist Preschool on Center Street, which also has a kindergarten program. If you want a cooperative preschool (where parents are required to spend a certain amount of time working at the preschool--I believe there are professional teachers but parents must volunteer X amount of time for their kids to be in the preschool), there's F.B. Meekins Preschool located at a church right on Maple Street (Rt. 123) as you head towards Tysons Corner. Another well-regarded preschool is Wesley United Methodist off Moore Street; I know lots of parents whose kids have gone there and they were pleased.

Most important of all-- visit each one and spend some time there, even if you have to find babysitting for your child to do it. Getting the "vibe" of a place is vital and so is knowing your child. I visited one place that seemed too big and bustling but other parents loved it; I visited another (Holy Comforter) that seemed much calmer and it was great for us but other parents wanted a differet vibe for their bouncier little boys. So you may want to shop around for the "fit." Have fun and you really will find someplace great here! Remember, it's not college--if the place is focused on socialization and learning to get along with adults and other children, your daughter will be well prepared for kindergarten. Welcome to the DC area and take your daughter to lots of puppet shows, kids' plays and museums!

We absolutely LOVED Christ Lutheran Preschool in Fairfax. They are just off 123 so hopefully not too far from you. They had a few openings last time I checked. Call Ginny Trygstad (the director)at ###-###-####. Good luck and welcome to NoVA!

You should definitely join the Vienna Moms group posted earlier- it is an awesome group and they can help you with all sorts of things like this question, playdates, etc.

It depends where in Vienna you are. We really like Parkwood for our potty-trained 3 year old and they accept more kids in January, I believe... (for the current year... so if you want your child to start in January, I think Parkwood would be the place.)
My un-pottytrained girl goes to Vienna Baptist children's center and my first daughter went there too. I have a huge affection for this place- for a million reasons! Feel free to contact me if you want, but I think these two places are amazing and very well thought out.
If you want to be a big part of her school, you might try Vienna Baptist where you can co-op once a month and really belong to a nice community feel. We don't belong to the church, but the place is really great and i cannot say enough great things about it! (they might even have some placement for this year still. they have a 2 day and 3 day program and 4 or 5 day program for older kids...
also you might wanna get on the mailing list for dc metro mommy which is a great resource for any mommy in the area to find out what sorts of cool things are happening in DC. The site is run by a vienna Mom from the Vienna Moms Org...

http://www.dcmetromommy.com/

Good luck! vienna is a cool town!

My sister sent her daughter to what began as a home based preschool in Vienna many many years ago. The lady that began the school and runs it is named Mrs. Vickery, she is phenomenal! Its located across the street from Vienna Baptist Church. They use 3 or 4 houses that the Vickery's have bought up in years past to use as 'schools'. There is a common backyard with a huge playground. They had low teacher turnover and my neice just blossomed there! I would highly recommend it. Here is the contact info:
Vickery Raymond E
601 Marshall Road Southwest
Vienna, VA 22180
Tel: ###-###-####

Faith Baptist Academy on Centre streey is a "not well known" gem. My last child is about to start there, my second child through the school, and I couldn't be more excited for him. My daughter left there reading. The teachers have been there for over 10 years each. It's a warm and loving environment, fun, but academic as well. They have a huge gym the kids can play in with tricycles and trains. They use the A Bekka curriculum which is wonderful. I give it a 10+ and I have four kids with multiple preschool experiences.

My son had a wonderful experience at Congregation Beth Emeth Early Childhood Center (BEECC). He just started kindergarten, and I feel he was extremely well prepared, even better prepared than my older son who went to a different preschool. BEECC is located on Lawyers Rd. in Herndon, VA. Good luck!

I have had an excellent experience at Appletree II on Tapawingo Rd. They do have a waiting list most of the time so give them a call sometime soon.

Since you just moved here, you should take a look at http://JustSettling.com, it has tons of advice for newcomers to this area (schools, doctors, activities for children, home help, etc.)

Welcome and good luck!

Hi - I just moved here also from overseas and so I'm not really speaking from experience but I ended up enrolling my 3 yr old daughter in Holy Comforter Episcopal Preschool. We really like it so far, and they actually have openings in my daughter's class right now b/c two girls moved away. They only allow ten in the class and try to keep an even number of boys and girls. I am sure they would be thrilled to have another girl to even it out. I'm not sure what the availability is for other ages right now at that school, but you might want to check it out anyway. The director, Sue Gosline, is very nice and helpful and I'm sure would be happy tot alk to you. I highly recommend it!